The present invention relates generally to tampon applicators.
Vaginal tampons are disposable absorbent articles sized and shaped for insertion into a woman's vaginal canal for absorption of body fluids generally discharged during the woman's menstrual period. Insertion of the tampon into the vaginal canal is commonly achieved using a tampon applicator that comes initially assembled with the tampon. The applicator, which is often made of plastic or cardboard, is disposable. Thus, after the applicator has been used to insert the tampon into the user's vaginal canal the applicator is discarded.
Tampon applicators are typically of a two-piece construction, including a barrel in which the tampon is initially housed and a plunger moveable telescopically relative to the barrel to push the tampon out of the barrel and into the vaginal canal. The barrel has a tip that generally retains the tampon within the barrel until pushed through the tip by the plunger. In normal use, the applicator and more particularly the barrel of the applicator is held by the user by gripping one portion of the barrel (e.g., toward the trailing or plunger end of the barrel) and inserting the barrel, tip end first, into the vaginal canal. The barrel is pushed partially into the canal so that a portion (e.g., toward the leading or exit end of the tampon barrel) is disposed within the vaginal canal and is in contact with the walls lining the canal. The plunger is then used to push the tampon out through the tip of the barrel and into the canal. The plunger and barrel are then removed from the vaginal canal, leaving the tampon in place.
Typically, the plunger is flared at the end to provide comfort and control to the user during insertion of the applicator and expulsion of the tampon from the barrel. Frequently, the other end of the plunger is also flared to provide a broad surface to push against the tampon during expulsion. These flares also help to keep the plunger from separating from the barrel during insertion, expulsion, or while in the package.
Traditionally, one or both of these flared ends are formed in an operation separate from the molding of the plunger (i.e., a post production step). This separate operation usually occurs after assembly of the plunger and the barrel. While this method of assembling tampon applicators produces acceptable results, there is a need for a method to more efficiently assemble tampon applicator barrels and plungers with flared ends.